Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to accessories for firearms and more particularly to a tunable muzzle compensator for a firearm.
Description of the Prior Art
A muzzle compensator is a device that fits onto the barrel of a rifle or pistol that is adapted to allow a portion of the discharged gas to exit the compensator at some angle to the axis of the barrel. This has the effect of providing a force on the barrel that acts as a lever arm to compensate for both the backward recoil and the muzzle climb movement caused by firing the weapon. Muzzle climb is an upward movement of the barrel of the weapon as the projectile moves through the barrel and exits that causes the barrel to climb and move sideways. This is due to the lever created by the back-force on the gun by the explosion in the chamber and the shooter's contact points on the weapon. Muzzle climb pulls the boresight off the target causing the projectile to not hit where the weapon was originally aimed. A properly sized and positioned compensator can keep the boresight of the barrel dead on target even though the weapon tends to kick upward and somewhat sideways.
There are several muzzle compensators on the market. Most compensators are fixed and factory adjusted for particular weapons. A model supplied by Ares Armor can be tuned by adding or removing screws in rows of slots around the circumference of the compensator. While this model is effective, it is in general and overkill since it has numerous ports that are closed off with screws and never used. It would be advantageous to have a muzzle compensator that could be tuned to a particular weapon, particular ammunition and a particular shooter by adding or subtracting one or more removable sections.